JohnC

I'm not sure if you directed your comment to me but I will still respond. Will UPL become a mainstay goalie in the NHL? I honestly don't know. That's why if you are going to error in handling him it is better to error on the side of giving him more time at the lower ranks in order to see if he progresses. It could be years before things click for him or it could be a shorter and quicker development. It also might not ever happen. Especially with goalies you just don't know. So even if he struggles in the AHL that doesn't mean that his playing experience is wasted. This is a case where waiting is better than rushing. Sometimes patience is rewarded and sometimes it doesn't produce what you expect. If you are going to error it should be by giving more time than less.

I'm in the camp that UPL should be getting a heavy workload in Rochester. Extensive playing time and maybe a playoff run with Rochester would serve him well to compete for a spot with the Sabres next year. The more important issue for the player and the franchise is what is best for his development. Playing a lot in Rochester would be better than playing fewer games in Buffalo at this stage of his career.

As I have stated to @Thorny and others I'm not anti-owners or even hostile to this new regime. It's universally agreed that the Pegulas have made a lot of mistakes that have kept this franchise stuck in the muck of mediocrity. However just as it took them a while to get things straightened out with the Bills I believe they have finally taken the right course of action for the Sabres. I'm very much an optimist that in the near future this franchise will be a success with the fans returning to the arena. There was a lot of skepticism (including me) when the Peguas hired KA to take over the operation. In my opinion KA has during his short tenure has done a more than commendable job. His hires in the front office and staff have been excellent. He made the right decision in replacing Krueger with Granato, and then hiring him on a permanent basis. By most accounts the drafting has been much better under him. The system is not necessarily loaded but it has a group of high end prospects who should be ready next year, if not sooner. My primary point in my recent posts is that the attendance even under the unique environment of covid is horribly bad. I'm not blaming the fans. But the reality is that the attendance figures are horrible. They are by far the worst in the league. I'm out of town. I watch most of the games on TV.

Taro was in the arena. Check with him. I have watched most of the home games on TV. What he believes are the attendance figures and a number of people who cover the team have similarly stated that there are maybe 4000 plus fans at the games. There is no need to be precise in recognizing that there are few people who are attending the games. We are last in attendance in the league by far. That's a fact.

I agree that it isn't a precise analogy. But the difference is still stark. Attendance-wise we are last by far. The attendance numbers are starkly bad.

The situation that Buffalo is facing with Covid is similar to what Detroit is facing in that they are both border towns and their teams have had a recent history of non-success but now are in my opinion are on an upward trajectory. You can review the attendance figures for yourself for all the franchises. The average paid attendance for Detroit is 16469. The average paid attendance for Buffalo is 7921. The actual number of people in attendance is in the range of 4000 plus. Nearly half the people who have paid for their tickets are not showing up. The local attendance figures are starkly bad. That's a fact. https://www.espn.com/nhl/attendance

I am one of the optimistic members who believe that the prospects for this team in the not very distant future is positive. Next year, I wouldn't be surprised if 4 to 6 young players in the system move up the ranks to accelerate the rebuilding of the roster. And what I also am encouraged about that although this roster is incomplete it consistently plays hard and overall I the team is entertaining to watch. I'm not overrating the quality of this roster or having a blind eye toward its deficiencies. I'm comfortable at where this team is at. However, what I do find disturbing is that although the announced attendance average is 7921 the actual attendance average hovers around 4000 in the arena. That's a concern, at least to me. Last night, while watching the game against the team's main rival played on a weekend night in arena where more than three out of four seats were empty. I find that to be very sad as to how low in fan interest this franchise has sunk.

Your extended response wasn't required to address the main point that I was making. I'm well aware of the impact of the covid border issue and I'm aware of the discount ticket issue on attendance. But that wasn't the primary issue. The issue is the dramatic drop in attendance even factoring in the other stressing issues. There were approximately 4000 people in an 18,000 plus seat arena. That means for every four seats three and more seats were empty. You don't think that is a concern? This was a weekend night game against our main rivalry. The paid attendance was 7942. Of those who paid for a ticket nearly half of them didn't bother to show up. You don't think that is a troubling issue? Detroit is a border town like Buffalo. And its team has been down like Buffalo has. Both teams now appear to be on an upswing. Detroit's average attendance is 16,469 while Buffalo's is 7921. You don't find the local market's lack of interest in this team something to worry about? Well I do. If you review the below link and look at the attendance numbers you will see how dismal the attendance situation is for Buffalo compared to the rest of the league. https://www.espn.com/nhl/attendance

The media market is different. Technology and the increase in news sources have changed the economics and business model of the media business. What I was referring to in my comments had to do with the level of apathy for the product. In the media business there is more interest in the product but it is much more fragmented now because there are so many different options. That dynamic doesn't apply to what I was commenting on.

This isn't a difficult concept to grasp. When the fans are enthusiastic with the product they are more likely to buy tickets at the designated price and attend the games. I'm not as concerned with the secondary market as you are. It is about having people actually attending the games. When you have a rivalry game at your arena that is (estimated) with two thirds of the seat vacant that is a disturbing situation. The problem isn't the secondary market and how it relates to fairness to the limited number of season ticket holders. The problem relates to apathy to the product you are offering. As it currently stands I find it very troubling.

Juggling is an art that some coaches are better at than others. Some coaches are simply too rigid and aren't flexible enough to experiment with line combos. Krueger was determined to bury Skinner while Granato was determined to try different things to put him in a situation to succeed.

When the time comes where there is a demand for tickets then not participating in the secondary market makes sense. When the arena is 2/3 empty for a rivalry game it makes little sense.

Whether at full price or discounted prices the attendance numbers are paltry. The Sabres have to be at the bottom or near bottom for attendance. And it is basic economics and business realism that a $10 ticket sold for a fan who is buying food and drink stuff at the concession stand is better business than having an empty and silent seat. The basic economic rule of supply/demand for ticket pricing is a fact of life.

The pass TT made to Skinner who was open in front of the net for a score showed he has the vision/instincts to be a center. And correspondingly the pass from Skinner to Thompson in open space for a score was a gem. I thought the Skinner-TT-Asplund was the best line in the game. Skinner playing on that line has been brought back to life. He smiled more in this game than I have seen before. Granato has made a number of smart line moves. Putting Tage at center and moving Skinner to his line are two examples of that.

The problem that is worrisome isn't having Leaf fans in the building as it is having an embarrassing low number of fans in the building for a rivalry game. The announced attendance was 7942. Just estimating but it is not unfair to deduct between 1000-2000 people who actually attended the game. And if you deduct maybe another 1000 of Toronto fans who crossed the border you are looking at a disturbing low number of Sabre fans who attended the game. It's acknowledged that the Sabres are in the midst of a rebuild and realistically are not a playoff team. But this is a team that consistently plays hard and is entertaining. This is a team that the fans should have no trouble getting behind. Considering how this franchise has functioned over this past Pegula decade I don't expect capacity crowds. No question the fan base has been demoralized and reduced .However, when you repeatedly witness games when close to 2/3 of the seats are empty then that is disturbing. I wrongly thought this was a game in which there would have been a bump up in attendance. I was wrong.

It wouldn't be much of a surprise that towards the end of the season JJ and Krebs are brought up. However, it might make sense if Rochester is involved in a playoff run that the organization keeps at least two of the three aforementioned players with the AHL team for the playoffs. It's certainly is a much more pleasant topic to discuss which players in the system are ready to move up the ranks than to discuss how barren our system is compared to other franchises. The tide is turning!

It may not stop the transmission but it makes it less likely that if infected the person will be seriously ill or die. I recently learned of a person who I worked with who didn't get the vaccine because of religious reasons. He died from covid. I still remember when he scored one of his scintillating goals and went to a Toronto section and banged on the glass. Classic!

What you see is what I see. It is both hopeful and frightening to see so many young players on a roster. The one saving grace is that Granato is the right coach to work with so many young players. He is masterful in loosening the rope and tightening the rope when working with youngsters.

The requirement by Canada to get a recent covid test on top of the required vaccinations upon returning has hindered the return of the Canadian fans to the arena. I just don't see the need for the covid test for the vaccinated. I agree with you that the owners have grossly mismanaged this franchise and damaged this market. But after so much carnage you can see the franchise moving in the right direction and offering more than a glimmer of hope in the near future. Even if the crowd is mostly comprised of Toronto fans I would like to see a full house and a electric environment.

Do you project Peterka-Krebs-Quinn on the Sabre roster next year? I'm not suggesting that any of these players will immediately be ready for the top lines although one or two of them might be. If you add Power, Samuelsson and Tuch to this group you can see this roster being reshaped rather quickly. That is not to say that it still won't take another year or longer before they become significant contributors. Compared to a year or so ago the future does look bright.

For those in attendance or watching this game it may seem more like a home game for Toronto than for Buffalo. That's disappointing.

That appears to be the case. I don't know if it is an accurate figure but one estimate that I heard is 40%. I'm still disappointed in the attendance. Although this is an incomplete team it gives effort and is entertaining. It's a team that you can root for.

If you go to Sabres.com you can bring up the 8 min post game remarks of the coach. He was asked about Cozens and what he said to him prior to the game. He is really brilliant in understanding the psychology of each player on his roster and bringing out their respective talents. In the human relations and people skills this coach is masterful. I apologize for not being able to bring up the specific link for the post game comments but they are on this page, including the highlights. The reported paid attendance for this game was a 8258. From what I saw from the clips it looked like there were at best 6000 fans in attendance. That's disturbing especially when one of the best players in the games and one of the more entertaining teams were playing.

Adams traded a pick to move up to get Peterka. It appears/hopeful that maneuver added a potential second-line caliber forward to the system. With the number of second and third round picks we have in the next couple of drafts maybe that maneuver will work again to add another high quality prospect or two into the farm system.

With respect to the highlighted commented of yours I totally agree. The organization has recently added a bulk of draft assets to its bucket. As you suggest are they going to make good use of them? The more assets you have the more room there is for error. Most draft analysts thought our last draft was solid. Will they make good use of their multiple high picks in the next draft? We shall see.